Henry Irving

Henry Irving (6 February 1838-13 October 1905) was a 19th-century English stage actor and theatre manager. Irving Street in London is named in his honor.

Biography
John Henry Brodribb was born in Keinton Mandeville, Somerset, England on 6 February 1838, and he came from a working-class family. He began his acting career in Sunderland in 1856, but it was not until 1871 that he made his big break with The Bells in London. He joined the Freemasons in 1882, became a leader of the liberal Beefsteak Club, and was successful both as an actor and theatre manager at the Lyceum Theatre. In 1895, he was the first British actor to be knighted, and he died ten years later at the age of 67.